Inspiring the American Experience, Historic Hotels within Teneo’s Growing Portfolio Shape 21st Century Meetings & Events
Eden Prairie, MN, July 2017 … A Beaux Arts mansion where John Jacob Astor and F. Scott Fitzgerald once wined and dined. The Residence of Presidents including Lincoln, Grant, and JFK. A Pacific palace where royalty rested and film stars frolicked on the beach. Lavish symbols of Old Florida when the Twenties roared and the Jazz Age played. A splendid salute to the Old South with a famous flock of ducks parading daily in the lobby.
America’s past is present in these historic hotels that span the United States from Boston’s Back Bay to San Francisco’s Nob Hill. Once dazzling symbols of the country’s cultural, political and social history, some of these iconic hotels fell upon tough times as fortunes were made and lost and neighborhoods fell from social grace. Today, thanks to responsible and painstaking restoration programs and billions of dollars in investments, these pink palaces, proud towers, colonial manors and ornate mansions are no longer fading relics of bygone days. Splendidly restored to their glory, they are highly relevant in a new era of hospitality. As independent and small brand properties, they offer maximum opportunities to professional planners and their conferees for unique, memorable, one-of-a-kind meeting and event experiences.
“In this new era, authenticity, originality and a unique guest experience are essential to the success of a meeting or event,” says Mike Schugt, president of Teneo Hospitality Group, the premier global firm representing 300+ independent and luxury branded hotels, resorts and DMCs. “A historic hotel, renovated and equipped with the latest technology, delivers on all counts. Today’s planners and guests demand a singular venue, a commitment to authenticity and the most current technology. A historic hotel can provide all those elements to create a productive, memorable meeting. Often independently owned and operated, historic hotels are less bound by strict corporate policies and enjoy greater flexibility and creative freedom,” Schugt notes.
Teneo Hospitality Group’s members include more than a dozen historic hotels in the United States, several of them are designated as national landmarks. These properties have undergone extensive and expensive renovations that expanded public spaces and added new facilities while staying within the strict parameters set by local and national conservation bodies. All have installed new, state-of-the-art technology to meet both the needs of conference planners and guests and to operate on a highly sustainable level in every aspect of hotel services.
Teneo members also include Destination Management Companies in the same areas, which can enhance the historic hotel experience with original, exciting programs that showcase the best of each area’s storied past and dynamic present. Set sail on an America’s Cup yacht over Newport Harbor, tour California wine country, and dance in a Victorian ballroom overlooking the Pacific where King Edward VIII once waltzed.
Many of Teneo’s historic hotels played a key role in political life as well as the social scene. The Willard InterContinental Washington, DC, was a political hot spot from its earliest days as a restaurant and collection of boarding houses. The hotel first opened in 1847 on Pennsylvania Avenue, just steps from the White House and over the years hosted every president from Franklin Pierce to JFK, earning its name “The Residence of Presidents.” By 1860, The Willard was the center of debate over secession and Unionists and Secessionists were so divided they entered the building via separate doors. In 1901, a new and ultra-luxurious Willard was built, and it was brilliantly restored in the 1980s. It now stands as one of America’s most prestigious hotels. Another fabled Washington, DC hotel, The Hay Adams, emerged in Italian Renaissance splendor in the 1920s, on the site of two town houses once owned by prominent Washingtonians John Hay and Henry Adams. In a nod to the hotel’s Jazz Age roots the Hay Adams maintains an exclusive “speakeasy”, Off the Record, a favorite of DC insiders.
As great fortunes were made in the 1920s, newly minted tycoons built fabulous hotels. Florida was a favorite destination of the rich and many flocked to the “Pink Palace”, the Don CeSar in St. Petersburg. Also true to the era, The Biltmore Miami Coral Gables maintained a speakeasy and card game on the 13th floor.
Prohibition yielded some of America’s most iconic cocktails and historic hotels were up to the challenge of masking the harsh taste of illegal alcohol available during Prohibition. French 75s, Sidecars, Southside’s and Old Fashioned all flowed freely. Today, they are back on the bar menu and a favorite of Millennial guests and nostalgic drinkers, alike.
Farm-to-table dining can be traced to Boston’s lauded Omni Parker House, which in the 1850s boasted its own farm to supply guests and diners with the freshest ingredients, including butter for their famous Parker House Rolls. A literary hub for New England’s most famous writers, The Omni Parker House also hosted Charles Dickens where he recited and performed, A Christmas Carol, reading it to a rapt audience of Boston literary lions. The hotel’s kitchen once employed two famous political leaders: Ho Chi Minh was a baker there and Malcolm X, a busboy. Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse worked as a sous chef before setting out for New Orleans.
Hoteliers in San Francisco, inspired by the city’s steep hills and stunning views, forged the concept of the Rooftop Bar and none is more famous than The Top of the Mark at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins. The hotel was built by a railroad magnate in 1926, and the bar and restaurant added in 1939.
Opulent, Beaux-Arts architecture appealed to the tycoons of the era who were investing in new hotels. Examples of this lavish style are found in New York’s recently relaunched The Knickerbocker Hotel, once a palatial property owned by JP Morgan and now born again as an elegant Times Square hotel. The Willard InterContinental Washington D.C., Boston Park Plaza and Sir Francis Drake and Stanford Court in San Francisco have preserved the elaborate ornamentation, bannisters, balconies, columns, cornices, pilasters and triangular pediments that mark this extravagant architectural style.
Equally rich appointments can be found in the Italian Renaissance style of The Peabody Memphis. First opened in 1869 and reconstructed in 1925, the impeccably restored hotel is a hub of the city’s business and social life. Each day, the legendary Peabody Ducks march through the lobby and swim in its fountain to the delight of guests.
In Nashville, The Hermitage Hotel took the Beaux Arts and Italian Renaissance styles to new and extravagant levels. Opened in 1910, the hotel featured marble floors, walls and columns as well as ornate ornamental plasterwork. The original chandeliers still hang from the lobby’s spectacular painted glass ceiling. Guestrooms were paneled in mahogany and equipped with such “new features” as running ice water and a telephone. U.S. presidents from William Howard Taft to President Bush visited the hotel, as did Charlie Chaplin, Babe Ruth and Country Music legends from Hank Williams and Patsy Cline to Johnny Cash.
Another famous historic property, The American Club in Kohler, Wisconsin, had a humble beginning as a residence for immigrant workers recruited by the Kohler Company, makers of bath and plumbing fixtures. The elegant Tudor building once contained a pub and a bowling alley for the residents. Today, it is one of America’s premier resorts with a championship golf course and the Kohler Experiential Learning Center, noted for its teambuilding and leadership programs.
The Hotel Viking in Newport, Rhode Island, sits on the city’s premier address, Bellevue Avenue, along which New York’s fabled “400” built their spectacular “summer cottages.” Its graceful architecture and newly renovated interiors recall Newport’s Colonial days as a thriving seaport and later as a yachting center. Built in 1926, The Viking is named for a band of Norsemen who may or may not have established a colony in Newport in 1120. They are said to have built a mysterious stone tower near the hotel that still stands.
Hoteliers accept major challenges and responsibilities in managing a historic property. Maintaining the hotel, meeting rigorous requirements from local, state and federal preservation bodies, operating with an elevated level of sustainable practices while incorporating 21st century technology demands commitment and creativity. In some cases, that obligation extends to the land surrounding the hotel. At Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, the hotel meticulously maintains its stunning Pacific beachfront, a favorite spot for parties, teambuilding, and top-flight entertainment. In Pennsylvania, the Omni Bedford Springs Resort, dating back to 1796 and set amidst the Allegheny mountains, preserves ancient hot springs that first drew the likes of America’s Founding Fathers. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams took the waters here, and the springs still feed the hotel swimming pool, one of the nation’s first, where musicians once played while hotel guests swam.
Despite the challenges and initial expense, a historic hotel is an excellent long-term investment, according to Darrell Tamosuinas, Teneo’s CEO. “These buildings were constructed to last and retain a level of craftsmanship and architectural authenticity not being built today,” Mr. Tamosuinas says. “They recall a time when Americans were on the move, building, exploring, creating and incorporating the best of the Old World with the energy and vision of the New, and today provide a destination experience unlike any other.”
That experience is enhanced by state-of-the-art-technology and embraced by a new generation. Thanks to committed hoteliers and investors, we can again imagine the glamour of a Gilded Age when princes and presidents, moguls and movie stars dined, danced, dealt and forged America’s history. These immersions into the best of the past while leaping forward into the 21st century are uniquely available to professional planners and their conferees at historic properties. As independent and boutique brand hotels and resorts, they offer unlimited opportunities for one-of-a-kind meeting, group teambuilding and event experiences.
Historic Hotels within Teneo’s Portfolio Shape 21st Century Meetings & Events
UncategorizedInspiring the American Experience, Historic Hotels within Teneo’s Growing Portfolio Shape 21st Century Meetings & Events
Eden Prairie, MN, July 2017 … A Beaux Arts mansion where John Jacob Astor and F. Scott Fitzgerald once wined and dined. The Residence of Presidents including Lincoln, Grant, and JFK. A Pacific palace where royalty rested and film stars frolicked on the beach. Lavish symbols of Old Florida when the Twenties roared and the Jazz Age played. A splendid salute to the Old South with a famous flock of ducks parading daily in the lobby.
America’s past is present in these historic hotels that span the United States from Boston’s Back Bay to San Francisco’s Nob Hill. Once dazzling symbols of the country’s cultural, political and social history, some of these iconic hotels fell upon tough times as fortunes were made and lost and neighborhoods fell from social grace. Today, thanks to responsible and painstaking restoration programs and billions of dollars in investments, these pink palaces, proud towers, colonial manors and ornate mansions are no longer fading relics of bygone days. Splendidly restored to their glory, they are highly relevant in a new era of hospitality. As independent and small brand properties, they offer maximum opportunities to professional planners and their conferees for unique, memorable, one-of-a-kind meeting and event experiences.
“In this new era, authenticity, originality and a unique guest experience are essential to the success of a meeting or event,” says Mike Schugt, president of Teneo Hospitality Group, the premier global firm representing 300+ independent and luxury branded hotels, resorts and DMCs. “A historic hotel, renovated and equipped with the latest technology, delivers on all counts. Today’s planners and guests demand a singular venue, a commitment to authenticity and the most current technology. A historic hotel can provide all those elements to create a productive, memorable meeting. Often independently owned and operated, historic hotels are less bound by strict corporate policies and enjoy greater flexibility and creative freedom,” Schugt notes.
Teneo Hospitality Group’s members include more than a dozen historic hotels in the United States, several of them are designated as national landmarks. These properties have undergone extensive and expensive renovations that expanded public spaces and added new facilities while staying within the strict parameters set by local and national conservation bodies. All have installed new, state-of-the-art technology to meet both the needs of conference planners and guests and to operate on a highly sustainable level in every aspect of hotel services.
Teneo members also include Destination Management Companies in the same areas, which can enhance the historic hotel experience with original, exciting programs that showcase the best of each area’s storied past and dynamic present. Set sail on an America’s Cup yacht over Newport Harbor, tour California wine country, and dance in a Victorian ballroom overlooking the Pacific where King Edward VIII once waltzed.
Many of Teneo’s historic hotels played a key role in political life as well as the social scene. The Willard InterContinental Washington, DC, was a political hot spot from its earliest days as a restaurant and collection of boarding houses. The hotel first opened in 1847 on Pennsylvania Avenue, just steps from the White House and over the years hosted every president from Franklin Pierce to JFK, earning its name “The Residence of Presidents.” By 1860, The Willard was the center of debate over secession and Unionists and Secessionists were so divided they entered the building via separate doors. In 1901, a new and ultra-luxurious Willard was built, and it was brilliantly restored in the 1980s. It now stands as one of America’s most prestigious hotels. Another fabled Washington, DC hotel, The Hay Adams, emerged in Italian Renaissance splendor in the 1920s, on the site of two town houses once owned by prominent Washingtonians John Hay and Henry Adams. In a nod to the hotel’s Jazz Age roots the Hay Adams maintains an exclusive “speakeasy”, Off the Record, a favorite of DC insiders.
As great fortunes were made in the 1920s, newly minted tycoons built fabulous hotels. Florida was a favorite destination of the rich and many flocked to the “Pink Palace”, the Don CeSar in St. Petersburg. Also true to the era, The Biltmore Miami Coral Gables maintained a speakeasy and card game on the 13th floor.
Prohibition yielded some of America’s most iconic cocktails and historic hotels were up to the challenge of masking the harsh taste of illegal alcohol available during Prohibition. French 75s, Sidecars, Southside’s and Old Fashioned all flowed freely. Today, they are back on the bar menu and a favorite of Millennial guests and nostalgic drinkers, alike.
Farm-to-table dining can be traced to Boston’s lauded Omni Parker House, which in the 1850s boasted its own farm to supply guests and diners with the freshest ingredients, including butter for their famous Parker House Rolls. A literary hub for New England’s most famous writers, The Omni Parker House also hosted Charles Dickens where he recited and performed, A Christmas Carol, reading it to a rapt audience of Boston literary lions. The hotel’s kitchen once employed two famous political leaders: Ho Chi Minh was a baker there and Malcolm X, a busboy. Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse worked as a sous chef before setting out for New Orleans.
Hoteliers in San Francisco, inspired by the city’s steep hills and stunning views, forged the concept of the Rooftop Bar and none is more famous than The Top of the Mark at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins. The hotel was built by a railroad magnate in 1926, and the bar and restaurant added in 1939.
Opulent, Beaux-Arts architecture appealed to the tycoons of the era who were investing in new hotels. Examples of this lavish style are found in New York’s recently relaunched The Knickerbocker Hotel, once a palatial property owned by JP Morgan and now born again as an elegant Times Square hotel. The Willard InterContinental Washington D.C., Boston Park Plaza and Sir Francis Drake and Stanford Court in San Francisco have preserved the elaborate ornamentation, bannisters, balconies, columns, cornices, pilasters and triangular pediments that mark this extravagant architectural style.
Equally rich appointments can be found in the Italian Renaissance style of The Peabody Memphis. First opened in 1869 and reconstructed in 1925, the impeccably restored hotel is a hub of the city’s business and social life. Each day, the legendary Peabody Ducks march through the lobby and swim in its fountain to the delight of guests.
In Nashville, The Hermitage Hotel took the Beaux Arts and Italian Renaissance styles to new and extravagant levels. Opened in 1910, the hotel featured marble floors, walls and columns as well as ornate ornamental plasterwork. The original chandeliers still hang from the lobby’s spectacular painted glass ceiling. Guestrooms were paneled in mahogany and equipped with such “new features” as running ice water and a telephone. U.S. presidents from William Howard Taft to President Bush visited the hotel, as did Charlie Chaplin, Babe Ruth and Country Music legends from Hank Williams and Patsy Cline to Johnny Cash.
Another famous historic property, The American Club in Kohler, Wisconsin, had a humble beginning as a residence for immigrant workers recruited by the Kohler Company, makers of bath and plumbing fixtures. The elegant Tudor building once contained a pub and a bowling alley for the residents. Today, it is one of America’s premier resorts with a championship golf course and the Kohler Experiential Learning Center, noted for its teambuilding and leadership programs.
The Hotel Viking in Newport, Rhode Island, sits on the city’s premier address, Bellevue Avenue, along which New York’s fabled “400” built their spectacular “summer cottages.” Its graceful architecture and newly renovated interiors recall Newport’s Colonial days as a thriving seaport and later as a yachting center. Built in 1926, The Viking is named for a band of Norsemen who may or may not have established a colony in Newport in 1120. They are said to have built a mysterious stone tower near the hotel that still stands.
Hoteliers accept major challenges and responsibilities in managing a historic property. Maintaining the hotel, meeting rigorous requirements from local, state and federal preservation bodies, operating with an elevated level of sustainable practices while incorporating 21st century technology demands commitment and creativity. In some cases, that obligation extends to the land surrounding the hotel. At Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, the hotel meticulously maintains its stunning Pacific beachfront, a favorite spot for parties, teambuilding, and top-flight entertainment. In Pennsylvania, the Omni Bedford Springs Resort, dating back to 1796 and set amidst the Allegheny mountains, preserves ancient hot springs that first drew the likes of America’s Founding Fathers. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams took the waters here, and the springs still feed the hotel swimming pool, one of the nation’s first, where musicians once played while hotel guests swam.
Despite the challenges and initial expense, a historic hotel is an excellent long-term investment, according to Darrell Tamosuinas, Teneo’s CEO. “These buildings were constructed to last and retain a level of craftsmanship and architectural authenticity not being built today,” Mr. Tamosuinas says. “They recall a time when Americans were on the move, building, exploring, creating and incorporating the best of the Old World with the energy and vision of the New, and today provide a destination experience unlike any other.”
That experience is enhanced by state-of-the-art-technology and embraced by a new generation. Thanks to committed hoteliers and investors, we can again imagine the glamour of a Gilded Age when princes and presidents, moguls and movie stars dined, danced, dealt and forged America’s history. These immersions into the best of the past while leaping forward into the 21st century are uniquely available to professional planners and their conferees at historic properties. As independent and boutique brand hotels and resorts, they offer unlimited opportunities for one-of-a-kind meeting, group teambuilding and event experiences.
2017’s Top Venue Trends for Meetings
UncategorizedTeneo’s Top Venue Trends for Exceptional Meetings & Events in 2017
Eden Prairie, MN, May 2017 … In a world of visual overload, hyper technology and a “been there done that” attitude, meeting and event planners are pressured to find evermore exciting, unique and memorable events that will keep participants enthused and motivated. The old Hollywood adage, “You’re only as good as your last picture,” describes the situation well. Planners are under pressure not just to outdo the competition, but to outdo themselves, and smart venues are responding with super-charged creativity.
“What’s the coolest event you’ve ever done or experienced? This is the burning question that today’s meeting planners first ask when they are selecting a venue,” says Mike Schugt, president of Teneo Hospitality Group, the premier global sales firm representing 300+ independent and luxury branded hotels, resorts and DMCs. “Whatever the answer is, today’s planners seek to top — by far — that ‘cool event’! Why? Because it’s what meeting guests demand. An over-the-top experience engages guests in a way that promotes learning retention.”
As a hospitality sales and marketing firm, Teneo’s job is to help planners find venues that can provide a meeting experience that is productive, exclusive and exceptional. With independent luxury hotels and resorts and value-based DMCs in its portfolio, Teneo’s sales team is committed to showcasing the creativity, flexibility and authenticity that independent properties offer in a tech-driven and homogenous environment.
Top Venue Observations for Exceptional Meetings & Events in 2017
#1 Venues must be all things to all people.
Whether they are well-traveled, sophisticated and seasoned executives or up-and-coming millennials, attendees of all ages today demand an experiential and interactive learning process that offers a complete immersion into a destination, a venue, and the meeting content. No exceptions!
#2 Beyond the Golf Course – Spectacular Sports.
While legendary golf courses continue to be played by meeting guests, increasingly it’s action adventure that attendees are requesting and demanding. Real meeting examples include skiing on Olympic slopes, ice wall climbing, dog sledding in the winter season, and saddling up for a cattle drive and rock rappelling in the summer.
#3 Cultural Authenticity Matters.
Cultural authenticity is essential to providing a genuine travel and meeting experience, and independent hotels and DMCs are perfectly positioned to offer this. “We represent venues and destinations that offer a true sense of place, a vibrant culture and a flexible, creative atmosphere where ideas can take flight,” Mike Schugt says. For example, Teneo’s DMCs can arrange a private reception at The Tower of London to view the British Crown Jewels, a shooting party in the Scottish Highlands followed by a whisky tasting at a campus distillery, a dinner on the Great Wall of China, a lavish reception inside Beijing’s Forbidden City, or closer to home a chance to sample Charleston’s fabled cuisine at a food truck rodeo then explore the Low Country’s unique African-American Gullah culture. Several landmark Teneo hotels offer a deep dive into history with 21st Century meeting guests communing with legions of legendary guests from the past. “It’s more than creating team memories,” says Schugt, “although this is important. It’s providing team camaraderie in a highly unique setting that help instill connections and learning.”
#4 Flexibility.
Flexibility is essential to creating a memorable meeting, and independent hotels tend to have a much wider scope in what they can provide as they’re less tethered to brand corporate policies. “Planners today need to respond to rapidly changing preferences of their increasingly younger meeting attendees,” said Schugt. “What’s discussed six months out can morph into an entirely different event closer to the meeting date. Hotels and resorts and planners need to remain flexible to the increasingly spontaneous and in-the-moment preferences of today’s attendees.”
#5 The Art of the Unusual.
We’ve all heard of events in art museums, Broadway theaters or on the beach. These are terrific venues for memorable gatherings. But how about taking over a parking garage with multiple levels for a myriad of activities, or decorating a ballroom with living walls to drive home a message of sustainability to a group gathering, or renting a pier over the ocean and hosting a corporate meeting while reflecting on global warming. “This is using the art of the unusual to create powerful connections and memories. It’s a genuine, thoughtful investment in one’s team,” says Schugt.
#6 Sustainability.
The demand for “green” hotels and meeting experiences has grown far beyond providing organic bath products and water-saving devices. Today’s guests insist on comprehensive efforts that impact every aspect of the meeting experience – not just in the venue but on the grounds, recreational areas, surrounding beaches, woodlands, campgrounds and ski slopes. “Many of our member hotels go well beyond the eco-friendly practices that have been implemented by the lodging industry in recent years,” Mike Schugt notes. “We see practices from catch and release fishing programs to Tesla Superchargers, and of course, locally sourced food that goes from farm to table.” Schugt also sees a more relaxed atmosphere in terms of service because of the farm to table movement. “The emphasis now for events, and venues that host them, is on sourcing and healthy eating, rather than formal service.”
#7 Wellness.
Venues are using their facilities for corporate and social groups to create memorable fitness and wellness programs. This can include yoga or Tai Chi on the beach, personal trainers, hikes, bike tours of city landmarks, group runs led by hotel staff and free loan of workout clothes and shoes. Some provide in-room equipment such as yoga mats and exercise bikes as well as a range of fitness apps and videos. “Like so many trends, this is millennial-driven,” says Mike Schugt. “Hotel and resort fitness centers today are far more sophisticated and interactive with a dedicated staff on duty.”
#8 Confidence & Consistency.
Events are not just for fun. They are team developers, helping unite and bond a group either leading into a meeting or hosted at its conclusion. “If you’ve ever planned a special event, or were responsible for its success, you’ll understand this,” said Schugt. “It’s always been a given that venues play a huge role in the confidence that a planner has for an event to be a resounding success. But as budgets tighten, and ROI is paramount in the minds of every client, confidence in the meeting and special event team to deliver, and the hotel with its destination’s unique ability to create a transformational experience for attendees, has never been more important.”
What’s Cooking? Creative Cuisine for Cutting-Edge Events
UncategorizedTeneo Welcomes Julie Stovroff
UncategorizedTeneo Hospitality Group Names Julie Stovroff Vice President of Sales, Insurance and Financial Services
Eden Prairie, MN, April 2017 … Teneo Hospitality Group, the premier global sales firm representing 300+ independent and luxury branded hotels, resorts, and DMCs continues to expand its portfolio and international reach, naming Julie Stovroff Vice President of Sales, Insurance and Financial Services. Teneo President Mike Schugt made the announcement.
“As Teneo continues to grow, we are enhancing our ability to drive the highly important insurance and financial services business to our member properties,” said Mr. Schugt. “Teneo will become a stronger player in this market with Julie on board, and we welcome her to our company.”
Julie Stovroff brings 31 years of global sales and representation experience within the key insurance and financial services markets to her new position with Teneo Hospitality Group. She was previously Vice President, Group Sales Insurance and Financial Services for Preferred Hotels & Resorts where she earlier served as Director of Sales for the same market. In these positions, Ms. Stovroff was consistently recognized as a top performer, earning the company’s most prestigious sales and incentive awards. Prior to that, she was Vice President of Sales with Hinton and Grusich, responsible for insurance and financial services sectors as well.
Ms. Stovroff holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech Communications and Psycology from the University of Denver. A resident of Denver, Colorado, she will operate out of Teneo’s Denver offices.
Julie Stovroff
Vice President of Sales
O. (303) 333-4601
Julie.Stovroff@teneohg.com
Teneo Launches Nationwide Meeting Planner and Networking Events
UncategorizedTENEO HOSPITALITY GROUP REACHES OUT TO NEW YORK’S HOMELESS VIA INNOVATIVE NETWORKING EVENT.
Teneo Hospitality Group Launches Nationwide Meeting Planner and Hotelier Networking & Charity Events, Assisting Homeless in 14 Cities
NEW YORK, NY, March 2017 … Teneo Hospitality Group launched the first of several planned 2017 networking and charity programs with an interactive event at Manhattan’s swanky Second Floor venue. The gathering, to benefit the New York Rescue Mission, was attended by 100 meeting planners from the Northeast and representatives of 58 hotels and destinations from across the US and internationally. Teneo’s networking programs, held across the United States and in Latin America, provide members with a unique opportunity to showcase their products and services, enjoy great food and entertainment, while aiding a local charity. Teneo will host similar gatherings in 13 other cities during the year, each benefiting a local charitable organization supporting the homeless.
At the New York event, meeting planners were given Teneo tote bags to fill. Then, they visited each of the 58 tables where they connected with a hotelier or destination management company (DMC) who added an item to each bag. Each tote bag contained 58 items that could be useful to the homeless, including socks, dental floss, eye drops, hand cream, feminine products, toothbrushes, umbrellas, blankets, Band-Aids, snacks and a number of other necessity items. Over 160 bags were filled and donated to the NYC Rescue Mission.
Teneo developed the innovative program last year as a key part of its business model. “Our business is built on developing strong relationships between meeting planners and the hotels and DMC members who serve them,” says Teneo President Mike Schugt. “Our charitable outreach utilizes these interactive gatherings to give back by supporting the organizations servicing the homeless in their city.” He also noted that the problem of homelessness continues to grow, affecting a broad spectrum of the population, including families, women, children, veterans and those suffering from substance abuse and mental illness.
Since launching the program last year, Teneo has hosted nine events in various US cities, plus the company’s annual Summit in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Teneo chooses a different charitable focus each year. In 2016, the company’s outreach benefited at risk children in numerous US cities. Charities included Covenant House, Special Olympics and several local shelters and clothing programs for children in need. Participants filled backpacks with school supplies, toiletries and sneakers.
The innovative charitable aspect of the evening was new to many and greeted with appreciation. Noted Tiru Irani, president of Far Horizons, a luxury group travel company, “It was very thoughtful of Teneo to include the charity component to this event. I was touched and very impressed by this kind gesture.”
Teneo Hospitality Group brought its imaginative networking while giving concept to Manhattan with a major event attended by over 160 meeting planners, hoteliers and destination management companies. Meeting planners were given Teneo tote bags to fill, then visited each table where they connected with a hotelier or DMC who then added an item to each bag. Each bag contained 58 practical items, including dental floss, hand cream, feminine products, toothbrushes, umbrellas, blankets, Band-Aids, razors, snacks and socks designed especially for the homeless. Over 160 bags were filled and taken to the NYC Rescue Mission.
Teneo Hospitality Group Names Christie Post Director of Sales Northwest
UncategorizedExpanding Its Presence in the Northwest and Utah
Teneo Hospitality Group Names Christie Post Director of Sales Northwest
Eden Prairie, MN, February 9, 2017 … Teneo Hospitality Group, the premier global sales representation firm for 300 Four Diamond independent and luxury branded hotels, continues to expand its portfolio and international reach with the appointment of Christie Post as Director of Sales Northwest. Based in Portland, OR, Ms. Post will oversee Teneo’s sales initiatives in Oregon, Washington and Utah.
Christie Post joins Teneo Hospitality Group with over 20 years of global hotel sales experience, primarily on the west coast. Most recently, she held a global sales role with Disney, representing their convention and incentive hotels and Disney Institute, and received Disney’s Platinum Club Award for two consecutive years. She has also been a top producing member of Gaylord Hotels National Sales Team where she focused on large group business for Gaylord’s four convention properties.
Ms. Post opened and operated Krisam Group’s first Pacific Northwest office from 2004 – 2010, and had previously held national sales and on-property positions with Ritz-Carlton and Krisam Group in New York.
Top 10 Food & Beverage Trends for 2017
UncategorizedTop 10 Food & Beverage Trends for 2017 from Teneo Hospitality Group Chefs, Luxury and Independent Properties Take Lead meeting New, Diverse Demands
Eden Prairie, MN, January 2017 … The food revolution that swept America’s tables all the way to the White House has reached the kitchens of the country’s hotel and resort ballrooms and banquet spaces. Chef-led, millennial-driven, and embracing the issues of sustainability, sourcing, wellness and diversity, the 2017 food & beverage trends show an increasingly complex and sophisticated market.
“Today’s hotel and group banquet guests have new and highly diverse dining requirements and demands,” says Mike Schugt, president of Teneo Hospitality Group, the leading professional group meeting sales organization bringing together 300 hotels, resorts and destination management companies worldwide with professional meeting and event planners. “Luxury and independent hotels are well-positioned to provide customized culinary solutions to planners, as they are less restricted by brand corporate procedures and purchasing requirements. This has resulted in an explosion of culinary creativity, and has made local sourcing of ingredients much easier, providing chefs detailed knowledge of how vegetables are grown and how animals are raised.”
Teneo recently addressed food & beverage trends at its Annual Summit, partnering with guest Executive Banquet Chef Stefan Peroutka of The Venetian and The Palazzo in Las Vegas. A native of Austria who has cooked in several acclaimed restaurants in Europe and the United States, Chef Peroutka brings the same creative vision and commitment to excellence to group events.
“I believe that a key factor to longevity and success in this industry is based on a simple concept that I refer to as an ‘HONEST Food Program’,” said Chef Peroutka. “It is built on delivering fresh and real ingredients that are prepared with proper technique and passion, always setting out to preserve the integrity of all ingredients used. This is the basic concept to building great culinary programs.”
Top 10 Group Food & Beverage Trends
Trend #1 Local and Sustainable
Sourcing and using locally-raised meat and produce is the most productive way to meet the changing requirements for healthy dining while reducing a hotel’s or resort’s carbon footprint. Chefs are assured of fresh ingredients and much more intensive knowledge of the food they are buying and serving. Says Chef Peroutka, “Increasingly, group meeting and banquet guests want to know where their food comes from, how it is raised and fed, and they have a right to that information.” For example, meat from grass-fed cows, raised without hormones is far healthier and tastier. By buying locally, a chef can assure guests from personal knowledge that their dinners come from animals that have been naturally and humanely raised. Indeed, animal welfare is a growing concern, especially among millennials. Buying from local farms will also greatly reduce transportation costs and emissions.
Trend #2 Natural, Minimally Processed Foods
Creative chefs throughout the country are leading a movement to educate and excite their customers about experiencing foods as close to their natural state as possible, and not overly seasoned or processed. As healthier, plant-based ingredients replace processed food and awareness of the dangers of sodium, sugar and saturated fat grows, Americans are demanding healthier food at meetings and banquet events.
Trend #3 New Cuts of Meat, Non-traditional Fish, Meat Versus Plant
Animal-based proteins will assume a more secondary role in 2017 as chefs respond to guest’s individual diet preferences for more sustainable and healthier eating habits. Look for a greater use of vegetables, seeds, nuts and legumes as part of the protein intake at group dining events. Since some fish have become scarce, more abundant species such as mackerel, rock fish and skipjack are now trending as healthy protein sources. To make food more sustainable and affordable, chefs are using a variety of cuts of meat – not just breasts, shoulders, and legs, but the entire animal.
Trend #4 Healthful Snacks
New and healthier snacks are coming on the market, impacting both what is offered at hotels and resorts, in meetings, and what individuals purchase or prepare for themselves. Planners have long seen the need for energy-boosting break-out items such as fruit, nuts and yogurt. These will be joined by seaweed and plant-based snacks, and smoothies made with nut-based milks rather than dairy.
Trend #5 Ethnic-Inspired Breakfast Items
An increasingly diverse American population now consumes a breakfast that goes well beyond bacon and eggs, and international attendees bring their own preferences. Many Europeans start the day with a variety of breads and charcuterie from prosciutto and salami to pâtés. Middle Easterners enjoy spreads and salads, while Latin Americans prefer spicier breakfast entrees with meats, eggs and empanadas. In 2017, look for fruits such as pomelo, star fruit, mangosteen, red bananas, pomegranates and Asian pears for breakfast. Hot and flavorful cereals such as congee mixed with vegetables or even spicy Korean kimchee makes a flavorful change from bland oatmeal. Popular breads will include pita, nan, flatbread, and tortillas for build-your own breakfast burritos.
Trend #6 Bolder Flavors
The phenomenal success of Siracha sauces and wide exposure to spicy ethnic foods such as Thai and Indian cuisine, make today’s guests far more adventurous diners, particularly among millennials. With an international mix of conference attendees, planners must explore ways to incorporate these items on restaurant and conference menus.
Trend #7 Hybrid Cuisine
Hybrid Cuisine evolved from the fusion food trend, which sometimes resulted in dishes that were more confused than fused. Hybrid cuisine is all about respecting the craft and traditional techniques of two culinary worlds and combining items into a harmonious well balanced dish. For example, it could be as simple as Korean fried chicken combined with a daikon Kimchee turned into a slider with miso mayonnaise.
Trend #8 House Made / Artisan Items
This trend is about creating a unique, individualized and memorable experience for guests – all produced and customized in house. This could be a small consumable item that is property-or event-specific … something a guest can take away with them, and which can later transport them back for a few moments to re-experience the event. This may be house-made snack mixes, gourmet popcorn, macaroons, or small jars of house-made jams, chutneys, mustards or infused seasoning salts.
Trend #9 Grab & Go with Mobile Apps
Like many current food trends, this is driven by busy, tech-savvy millennials. At conferences, attendees can use hotel or meeting apps to access interactive menus through personal mobile devices, ordering freshly prepared menu items for quick pick up without the wait. The apps can also be used to order to a vendor booth or break-out meeting space, for fast convenient service.
Trend #10 Cocktails, Mocktails and More
Beverages can make an event, and the emphasis should be quality and innovation over quantity. Many classic cocktails are making a comeback, including Manhattans, Side Cars and French 75s. America’s very own whisky, Bourbon, is giving Scotch a run for its money and gin lovers can now choose from a variety of tonics for their G & Ts. Talented mixologists are mixing their own infusions from fresh ingredients. Locally brewed craft beers and local wines enhance the overall dining experience and also contribute to sustainability.
Nondrinkers don’t want not be limited to simple water or chemically laden soft drinks. Planners can provide non-alcoholic beverages that are imaginatively presented. Fortunately, the current concern with health and safety has given rise to Mocktails, alcohol-free takes on mojitos, Cosmos, Martinis and Bloody Marys with infusions of fresh fruit and colorful garnishes.
In conclusion …
“We are seeing a much more complex and challenging environment emerging within group food and beverage,” says Teneo President Mike Schugt. “These changes will demand a creative, flexible response to guest demands, including an emphasis on flavor, health, and strict attention to sustainable farming & livestock practices, and dietary needs.” While Mr. Schugt sees luxury and independent properties in the vanguard of this movement, he has no doubt that the entire industry will eventually step up to meet these new challenges. “This is an innovative, creative industry,” Mike Schugt affirms. “We listen to our customers, ask questions, learn, and then lead the way.”
Classic Hotels & Resorts Announces Plans to Renovate, Rebrand and Rename Scottsdale’s Firesky Resort & Spa
UncategorizedIntroducing The Scott, a Lively Gathering Place for Valley Visitors and Locals with a Signature Sonoran Style, Enhanced Amenities and Creative, New Programming
Scottsdale, Ariz. (January 5, 2016) – Classic Hotels & Resorts, a leading hospitality development and management company based in Phoenix, announced today its plans to rebrand and rename Firesky Resort & Spa, a boutique property the company acquired in April 2016. The 204-room resort, located in Old Town Scottsdale, is being renamed as The Scott Resort & Spa, along with a newly rebranded website that is now live.
Revered as one of the premiere resorts in Arizona, boasting one of the best locations in Scottsdale and known for its impeccable service and tantalizing cuisine, The Scott continues to be a favorite among tourists and locals alike. Over the next two years, Classic Hotels & Resorts will invest $15M to make an already beloved resort even better. The reinvention will consist of all guest rooms, suites and public spaces, including the resort’s 14,000 square feet of meeting space, two pools, lobby bar and restaurant. The redesign will at once celebrate the historic building’s iconic architecture, while introducing a new look and feel and elevated guest service culture, creating a new personality for the prized resort alongside an all- new restaurant concept – both of which will be unique to the current Phoenix/Scottsdale hospitality market.
While maintaining the resort’s vibrant Sonoran style that visitors and locals have enjoyed for the past 55 years, The Scott will soon benefit from several significant enhancements throughout. The first phase of the redesign will begin in May 2017 and be complete in September 2017, just in time for peak season travelers, and will include:
The second phase will revamp all 204 spacious guestrooms, each of which features private outdoor patios or balconies. Significant upgrades will range from new furniture packages and case goods to redesigned bathrooms. The renovation will also unveil an all-new Presidential Suite and the addition of four one- bedroom suites.
“This historic property is an elegant and fun addition to our portfolio, and we feel honored to restore and update it in ways that enrich the guest experience – not only through elevated and comfortable design, but also through new amenity and programming concepts that speak to this unique desert destination,” said Classic Hotels & Resorts President John Grossman. “The Scott is a modern incarnation of an Arizona classic with a fresh, design-forward concept that will attract both locals and visitors alike.”
A talented team of designers is responsible for the resort’s new concept, including New York and San Francisco-based AvroKO, local architect firm Synthetic Design, and Hart Howerton, which is overseeing the meetings and events spaces. Rinker Design crafted the resort’s rebranding and played an important role in concept visioning and programing.
“This is such an exciting project for us to be involved with,” said Greg Bradshaw, founding partner of AvroKO. “We took the approach of wanting to keep intact some elements that are already very much a part of the hotel – particularly the beautiful Spanish Revival inspired architecture – and have incorporated several new layers into the overall design, including beautiful staple pieces that are inspired by the Bauhaus movement and old Havana, which guests will see immediately upon arrival and get a true sense of the place right away. We can’t wait to see the finished product and how it all comes together.”
For additional information, please contact your Teneo Sales Representative.
1-800-495-0119 | info@teneohg.com
Teneo Names Cindy Meyerer Director of Sales
UncategorizedNews Release
Expanding Its Professional Sales Force, Teneo Hospitality Group
Names Cindy Meyerer Director of Sales
Eden Prairie, MN, November 2016 … Further expanding its professional sales force, Teneo Hospitality Group, the premier global sales representation firm for independent and branded hotels, named Cindy Meyerer as director of sales, responsible for the company’s Southeastern market.
“We are delighted to welcome Cindy Meyerer to the Teneo family,” said Teneo President Mike Schugt. “Cindy has developed tremendous relationships with meeting professionals throughout her career, and her background and experience are a perfect fit for our team.”
Based in Orlando, Ms. Meyerer’s background in sales, catering, operations and destination promotion spans prominent hotel brands in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Washington D.C., California, and Texas. These include Hyatt Hotels, Gaylord Entertainment, and The Walt Disney Company. Her most recent position was with Disney Meetings and Disney Destinations Worldwide, as their National Sales Representative for the Southeast.
She holds numerous awards including Gaylord Hotels Teammate of the Year, Disney Destinations Platinum Circle Winner, and the NSO Top Production Award for Disney Destination’s Resort Division.
Ms. Meyerer holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.), Hospitality Administration/Management from Florida State University.
About Teneo Hospitality Group
Teneo Hospitality Group represents over 300 independent and branded hotels, resorts and DMCs around the world.
Teneo is a Latin word meaning to know, understand and persevere. This maxim informs the company’s mission and its successful track record of global expansion. In just three years, Teneo has grown into a prominent industry player. The company continues to expand its staff of hospitality sales professionals, whose resumes span major hotel brands, independent properties and top travel destinations.
Cindy Meyerer
Director of Sales
407-955-4938
Cindy.Meyerer@Tteneohg.com
Coming Together by Giving Back
Giving BackBuilding Relationships through Corporate Giving
Eden Prairie (Minneapolis), MN, November 2016 …Deck the halls, trim the tree, organize a company party and make sure that the plans for next year’s conferences are as carefully laid as the holiday banquet table. ‘Tis the season for meeting planners to be busy with celebrations, and a time when companies make their most generous charitable donations to national and local charities.
At Teneo Hospitality Group, we believe that giving back in the spirit of the holidays is certainly appropriate and can greatly benefit the company who is giving, even more than the recipient. Apart from being its own reward, corporate social outreach can raise a company’s profile, attract positive media and investor attention, enhance teamwork and build bridges between management, employees and the local community.
We believe that an innovative, well-planned social engagement program can do all this and much more. In fact, corporate giving is such a valuable tool, we have made it an integral part of our business model and a year ‘round effort. Our business is built on developing relationships between meeting planners and our hotel and DMC members who serve them. Our charitable outreach is designed to bring those groups together through a series of interactive events.
We host nearly 20 events per year in locations across the US and Latin America. Local meeting planners are invited to meet and network with Teneo member Hotel and DMC representatives. There’s great food, entertainment and a chance to help a local charity while networking at the same time. Since most of our charities are geared toward helping children in need, we designed back-to-school events, where we purchased backpacks and filled them with needed school supplies. These included pens, pencils, crayons, markers, notebooks, and paper. Planners are given a backpack to fill and go to each table, where they connect with a hotelier who then adds an item to the backpack until all backpacks are filled. It’s simple, fun and effective.
In some cases, instead of giving school supplies, we provided toiletries or pairs of shoes for children at local homeless shelters.
Most companies cannot donate millions of dollars. But we can create cost-effective programs that benefit local communities in a targeted and meaningful way, while involving our employees and clients.
This year, our programs have benefited at risk children in numerous US cities. Charities included Covenant House, Special Olympics and several local shelters and clothing programs for children in need. At our recent Summit in Puerto Vallarta, we contributed backpacks filled with necessities to two local charities that aid children.
The backpacks are both attractive and practical, and their contents are greatly appreciated. We donated 100 pairs of shoes to the St. Anthony Free Clothing Program in San Francisco – just in time for the kids’ return to school.
Our clients agree that these events are unique – and fun. “My personal award for Most Creative and Thoughtful Charity Event,” wrote one meeting planner. Said another, “I loved being part of something bigger in giving back to the community.”
In the New Year, we hope to expand our programs and partnerships, bringing more meeting professionals and Teneo members together, helping disadvantaged kids and leaving something meaningful behind in each place we visit.
About Teneo Hospitality Group
Teneo Hospitality Group is a leading professional group sales organization, representing over 300 hotels, resorts and destination management companies (DMCs) worldwide. Learn more about Teneo Hospitality Group.